The Request
by Mrs. Alex Kurosaki
Summary: You are a lonely girl with a secret. He's a mysterious boy with his own. Will these two star-crossed lovers be able to overcome the differences between their worlds?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I got a request 8 months ago from a lovely reviewer who went by the name "Kay."

I hope this story lives up to what you were expecting.

* * *

The sun begins to set as you walk along the emptying streets of your town. You can't help the chill that runs down your spine as you take note of this while taking a step into the bakery.

A small _ring_ announces your entrance.

"Hello, [Y.N.]," the baker, Mr. Tsukino calls when he sees you.

"Hello," you respond politely as you nod in his direction. You go and grab a few loaves of freshly baked bread, and also a few sweets besides the cash register.

"Is this all you want to buy today?" he asks as you begin to take the money out of your wallet.

"Yes. There's not many of us at my home tonight," you say quietly. The note of sadness in your voice is not lost on him so he decides to add a free bonus.

With a quick wink, he whispers, "Don't tell the Mrs. that I gave you free pocky."

You smile warmly at his gesture but try to say it's not necessary. But he won't have any of it.

"You eat that pocky, and you enjoy it, you hear?"

He says it so sternly, you can't help giggle at the silliness of it all.

"I will, Mr. Tsukino. Thank you."

He gives you a bright smile as he nods, crinkling his eyes in sincerity. With that, you go out and begin your walk home down the empty streets.

You've walked this road many times, yet you can't shake this sense of uneasiness that follows you like a shadow.

A quiet _tap, tap, tap_ registers as the shadows get longer with the sun now starting to dip into the mountains. You pull your shawl closer to you, trying to shake of this uneasy feeling, but it just won't go.

When you're not far from home, you can hear shallow breathing echo in the quiet of the alley closest to you.

Though you know it's a dumb thing to do, you can't help but call out like so stereotypically happens in all horror stories.

"Hello?"

The _whoosh_ of the wind drowns out your voice, and it's then that you hear a distinct _crash_.  
It's not far away, up in the rooftops, and immediately you bolt home.

No walking for you anymore!

You run past the few remaining alleys, take turn after turn, and see the shadow of something leaping back and forth from the rooftops.

Something is following you, you know it. But as you run, you know that whatever it is, if you go back home it will follow you there.

 _'Who will protect my family?'_ you think to yourself in horror.

So rather than take that final turn right, you make a sharp turn left and run towards the only path that you know well.

You run into the dense forest.

You can hear the pounding of your heart, and the feel the blood rushing through your veins.

If it is what you think, no amount of hiding will help.

 _It'll smell you..._

Suddenly, a tall young man with Mahogany hair and blue-grey eyes steps in front of you.

There's nowhere for you to run so your efforts to turn away from him are in vain. It's then that you see a startling grotesque figure jump forward, out of a tree.

It looks like a human, but with an elongated mouth and talons for fingers.

Its clothes still has blood, as do its fingers.

Before you can do anything, you feel an arm wrap around your waist from behind and suddenly you're flying backwards.

"This will be over in a minute," the mysterious stranger states as he places you down beside a tree.

You like around wildly, desperately, as you search for a recognizable landmark.

You breathe loudly, your heartbeat resounding loudly in your ears when you finally see it.

A bright red ribbon in a tree, right beside the Utseru tree, the Father tree.

You ran quickly towards it and dig frantically at the roots.

You hear the sounds of fighting behind you, but avoid wasting time to see how it's going.

The dirt under your nails hurts as do the fresh splinters the roots have cause you.

You feel a nail crack but you don't care as you quickly grasp the item you were looking for.

A gleaming brown box covered in dirt is firmly yanked out and roughly opened.

With one hand, you pull out the weapon hidden within and with the other, you get a good hold in case you need it as a shield.

No sooner had you turned than did the mahogany haired man come flying towards you- behind the monster!

You use the momentum from your turn to throw the box, making the creature veer off course enough.

As it goes flying past you, you follow the creature's path with the gun, cock it, and as crashes against the tree, shoot.

You shoot carefully and precisely into the creatures skull five times.

After the third time, it was dead.

The fourth time was for your uncle.

The fifth for your dad.

As you ready the gun for the final shot, you feel a hand suddenly grab your shoulder.

Immediately you point the gun at the stranger's chest.

His apathetic face irritates you to no end as he says, "That's an interesting way to thank the person that saved you."

"Saved me? I think _I_ was the one who did the saving."

He looks down his nose at you before turning.

He walks towards your forgotten groceries and says, "thank you for the rescue then, Ms. Warrior. I'll take this pocky to calm my poor nerves."

"Hey!" you call indignantly.

You get red with anger when you make eye contact, but blush when he begins to bow and maintains it.

A small smirk creeps onto his visage as you lose your strength to continue this staring contest.

"I'll see you around."

With that and he's gone.

 _'What the hell was he,'_ you wonder.


	2. Chapter 2

"(Y.N.)! Where have you been?!" your mother yells storming towards you. She looks ready to slap you, but just yanks the bag of food out of your hands and pulls you into her embrace.  
You take a deep breath, feeling very tired now that the adrenaline was gone, and mumble a "sorry, mom."  
You can feel her lip quivering against your cheek, and ignore the warm liquid that's beginning to wet your hair.  
After a couple of minutes, she wipes her face while still holding you and says, "Well! You've been gone for a while, so I'm expecting the best bread 'ole Tsukino had to offer."  
You grin as you respond, "the very best, just for you, Madame."  
She rolls her eyes as she picks up the bag, and inspects what's inside.  
You close the door in turn, looking critically outside to see if anything is out of place, and if there's any signs of movement.  
"Mom, do you mind sleeping in my room tonight?"  
Your mother doesn't respond. At first you think your attempts to try to be casual are being ignored, but after a quick glance you realize they go unnoticed since they have fallen on deaf ears. Your mother's face is white, and in her hands she clutches The Seed with a deadly grip.  
"What's," she starts, but immediately she has to take a gulp of air.  
"What is this doing here?" she asks.  
Her eyes stay trained on the box, almost as if she's afraid that, if she takes her eyes away, a monster will appear in her hands instead.

You go over, wrapping your hands around hers, and pull it gently away.

"Mama, do you want me to make you some tea? You don't look so well."

Your mother was not born into the hunter life, and had only been exposed to it in the past couple of years when you moved to this small town. Your father's friend Toga had been sent on an assignment here, and after a long stretch of quiet from his side, your father decided it was time he come and help.

Your mother didn't know you had been training for this type of situation since you were 7 years old. She thought you just liked to be "fit like your papa."

She thought some of the things you did were a bit excessive, but she understood that you were a competitive person, and didn't like being told that you couldn't do something. It just made you want to fight against that notion even more.

Your father told you all about the monsters that hide in the shadows since you were a little girl, but he also told you how to fight them so that they could never hurt you- "Or your mother."

Those days seemed so far away...

You help your mother gently rest herself on the sofa, and give her embroidery material, careful not to let her poke herself with the needle.

Once you see her start moving her hands without hurting herself, you quickly head to the kitchen and rummage around until you finish making your mother's favorite lavender and green tea mix.

When you get to her, you instinctively purse your lips at what you see. Your mother, in her nervous state, made the image that's been plaguing her for the past couple of months: your father's death at the hands of long, fanged, monster.

It's a crude image, and doesn't come anywhere close to the horror that is vampire, but it's clear enough.

"Mama," you murmur soothingly. "I brought you your tea."

She smiles at you, but her eyes remain blank.

She takes small sips as you rub small circles on her arm to help sooth her.

You can tell she's done with her tea once she starts turning it round and around.

"Who did you meet today?" she asks.

You feel yourself bristle up, a slight flush coming over you as you remember the annoying mahogany haired boy who took your pocky.

She doesn't look up at you however, and thankfully does not see your expression as you try to find an answer. Before you can say anything however, she stops and stares turning the cup and answers herself.

"Oh... You met one of them..."

You can't have your mother knowing that though so you immediately throw out a lie. A half lie, of course. You don't want her to worry.

"No, mami! No. I-I... I met a boy."

She looks up at you, hope shining in her eyes.

"Is my little pumpkin finally interested in someone in this town?" she asks, a small hint of teasing shining through.

You smile at her and respond, "No~. What happened was there was a boy. He was about my age."

Your mother stops you there to curtly remind you that you're 18. "That's not exactly a child anymore, is it?"

You grimace at her words but continue. "Anyways. He was running along by the forest. I didn't know why, but I noticed that he had the box in his hands. I made him give it back, and that's why I had it."

She nods, but it's clear that she's unsure whether to believe you or not.

"It was getting too dark to go put it back now anyways," you add quickly.

Making sure the Seed was always in its spot was something you father ingrained in you years ago. But it was out of bullets, and you needed to make sure it was clean and polished so the next person that would need it wouldn't have trouble when using it.

But your mother didn't need to know that, so you added what would've gone through her head to rid her of her worries.

"Do you mind if I sleep in your room, tonight?" she asks.

It's clear the conversation is over, and you're glad of that. You hate lying to your mother, but sometimes it's for her own good.

It's never easy to lose a loved one, but it must've been so much harder for her to watch her husband and her brother be killed before her eyes.

It did hurt you too, but you had been prepared for this kind of occurrence years ago. Your father never wanted you to falter if you needed to protect your mother.

With a gentle smile, you pull your mother to your chest and say, "Yes, mami. It's ok if you sleep in my room."


	3. Chapter 3

It's been many hours since your mother has fallen asleep, but you still hold her tightly, rocking her back and forth and gently rubbing her hair. It reminded you of when your aunt had just had her baby, and you were the one who helped her take care of the newborn while she rested. She had been very weak after the birth, and your mother was the only one who seemed able to help her.

Unfortunately, as your aunt got weaker, so did the child. There had been complications when she was giving birth, and since she was alone, she hurt parts of her insides without realizing _that_ pain wasn't part of the normal contraction pains. Due to the infection she got after the birthing process, she got very sick, and so did her baby. Neither of them lasted long. Your aunt passed a week before baby Stela, but that last week was torture as you felt the already tiny baby get frailer each day.

Your mother had been very sad, but she saw it coming.

 _"She should have come to me before the birthing."_

 _"Your uncle should have made sure there was someone there with her in case it time to give birth."_

 _"Women aren't meant to be alone when we're giving life!"_

You fed Stela all the milk you could get, but without a healthy mother's warmth and nourishment, she had no way to fight the infection her mother inadvertently passed on to her through her milk and proximity.

You had sworn you would never have a child after Stela, though you still loved children very much.

Now, with your mother's breathe coming out in light puffs, you recall the happiness motherhood promised all those years before, but with even firmer resilience stand your ground on your position.

You lean back a bit more into your bed to get comfortable, but you just can't seem to get to sleep. You feel like there's someone watching you, but you're alone.

 _'Maybe it's the light,'_ you think to yourself, turning to blow out the candle.

It's as you blow that you hear the sound of steps heading in your direction from the half opened window.

You quietly snake your way down the bed, and place the pillows in front of your mother to block her from the window's view. Then you crouch at the foot of the window, and wait.

 _Crunch_

 _Crinch_

 _Crunch_

The pale moonlight shines brightly in your now dark room. Your mother is hidden in the shadows, and you under the window. It's not long before you see the shadow of a person standing behind you, and your worries are confirmed.

 _'There's someone out there.'_

Your mother always spent her days at home cleaning if she didn't have any patients to tend to. She would say cleanliness was godliness, and it was God's will for her to help others when they were sick, therefor she had to give Him a good representation when people came through their home. That was why she had cleaning supplies in the corner of every room. Currently, the closest thing for you to grab was the broom about a foot away from where you were currently crouched.

You quietly slide over and pull the handle close to you, being as careful as possible. Your muscles tensing tightly as you get back in position.

Adrenaline courses heavily through your body, but the shadow doesn't move. It just stands there, seemingly content on staring at what is supposed to look like an empty room.

After about an hour of trying to keep yourself flat against the wall, waiting for an attack, your mother begins to stir in the bed.

You panic, but are relived when you glance back down to the floor and see that the shadow is no longer at your window anymore.

 _'Hopefully it wasn't one of them,'_ you think warily to yourself, slowly rising up and peeking out the window.

If it had been one of them, you doubt they would have given up the opportunity to come in through an open window. It's not like they were that big. You're about to close the window, but your mom starts to reach out. You don't want her to panic over you not being there so you forgo the window and go back.

Once you are in bed, your motherly sleepily rises up on her elbow and asks, "Where did you go?"

You pat her hand and respond, "I just wanted to stretch my legs a bit. Don't worry, ok. I'm sorry for scaring you, mama."

You grab your longest pillow to hug, but turn away from your mom when she decides she wants to hug you to get back to sleep.

As you start to finally nod off, you catch a glimpse of the window one last time. It's not until the following morning when you hear your mom lightly snoring behind you, and see the soft rays of the sun shining in that you realize, _'I never closed the window.'_

So why was it closed now?


	4. Chapter 4

When your mom woke up, you already had the coffee brewing, and eggs prepared just like she liked them. You considered doing some pancakes too, but since she hardly ate, and since you had lost your appetite as of late, you decided against that idea.

"Morning, sleepy," she said around a muffled yawn.

You chirp back a peppy, "Good morrow, mother. How is this fine weather we're having?"

She muffled a giggle as she sits and begins to eat. You sit and drink your cup of heavily creamed coffee as you look out the window.

The blue jays sing a happy song, and the chicks chirp hungrily. You see a cat making its way near the tree, but stop and lay in a patch of sunlight surrounded by shade. It makes no sense to you why it'd decide to sun bathe there when it'll have to move later, but you're sure it has its reasons.

When your mom finishes eating, you take her plate and ask her what the plan for the day is.

"Well, you need to finish helping Yuko paint her china today, and I'm going to go see how Akane's burns are doing."

"What happened to Akane?" You question in alarm. She was a sweet little girl who always wore a brilliant red cape wherever she went. The entire town joked that one day she was going to be eaten by a wolf since she was just like Little Red Riding Hood, but you never expected anything to happen to her!

"She tried to make some hot cider yesterday, and she accidentally dropped it on her left arm," your mother responded. She already started packing her medical bag as she told you the plan for the day, so you knew you couldn't keep her long.

You grab your paints and some cured meat, then run along with your mother.

The sun is already pretty high in the sky when you get to Yuko's home, but you really want to go with your mother, just in case...

"(Y.N.), no! I'll be fine. Yuko really needs your help though, so I need you go now."

Without another word, she pushes you onto Yuko's property, then leaves promptly.

Before you can go after her, you hear a small bell ring and turn around in time to see a small cat dash into Yuko's home. In the doorway is the lovely raven-haired woman who paints china for a living.

"Good morning, Ms. Oshiro," you say with a small bow.

She smiles at you before motioning you in. Once inside, you take out the meat and hand it to her. She touches her chin and motions towards you.

 _'Thank you.'_

You tell her "your welcome" with a grin and sit in your usual chair by the window as you set up.

For the next couple of hours, Yuko and you quietly paint flowers, quaint villages, and aquatic images over delicate cups, platters, and tea sets.

It's a leisurely experience. Very different from your usual experiences with your father just a few years prior, but a much more pleasurable experience to be honest.

Yuko gets up and stretches her entire body. She reminds you of a cat as she goes on the tips of her toes and pulls her arms from side to side. The satisfying _'crack'_ of her joints in the quiet room brings a chill up your spine, and soon you have the urge to crack your own back as well.

Usually when she gets up, it's because she needs to go to the restroom or is hungry. Right now, you know it's time to go eat since she goes to the hall on the right instead of the small room outside to the left. You get up and, after a quick stretch yourself, follow close behind.

"Do you want me to make some tea?" You ask after getting her attention.

She nods and points at the counter.

You bring out some herbs, salt, a vinaigrette, and pepper, and place them next to Yuko. She doesn't question why they are there when she starts to make the sandwiches, but just accepts they are there.

It brings a smile to your face to see her so relaxed and at ease. It's definitely very different than when you started coming to help her. When you had first come, she was very nervous, and would constantly be checking on you, trying to see if you needed help or if there was anything she needed to do. Communicating was also difficult since she was used to most people wanting her to get accustomed to them, so she'd have to learn a new way to talk to people each time. You talked to your mother about this, and she told you she could read lips.

 _"But why don't you ask her to teach you how to sign too?"_

And ask you did. It was slow learning, but you were getting it, bit by bit.

It made you happy to see how happy she would get when you would understand, and also happy that you could make her feel comfortable. It was clear that didn't happen often.

After you finished your sandwich, you looked up at her. She bunched all of her fingers around her thumb on one hand while doing the same with the other, and then tapped the tips together.

 _'More?'_

"Thank you, but I'm good," you respond. You hold your right hand in a fist, and then swipe your left hand over the top of your fist.

She nods as she makes an 'o' shape with her hand, and then flicks her thumb and pointer finger up, and her middle finger out.

 _'Ok.'_

You pick up the plates and the cups from your meal and wash them very quickly. As you dry your hands, you see a familiar figure coming down the road. You stiffen in surprise and fear, and then turn back to Yuko. She's already sitting back in her chair, painting a tea cup with those intricate little squiggles only she can do so perfectly. You lick your lips in nervousness as you try to remember all the signs you need.

You walk in front of her chair and when she looks up, you do your best to sign correctly.

You point to yourself then throw your fingers in an arch forward. Next you hold your left hand in a loosely open position by your face and pull it in and out twice, closing it the way you do when you sign "more" every time you pull your hand away from your face. Next you look at your thumbs as you hold them between your middle and index fingers, with your index finger wrapped around your thumb, and flick your thumbs up.

"I'm going to go outside real quick," you say as you sign.

She touches her forehead and pulls her middle three fingers down as she pulls her hand forward.

 _'Why?'_

You point to yourself again, then hold your left hand flat and facing the wall to your right. With your right hand, you point down to your palm, then flick your finger back around towards her, and then point your finger straight up and move it around in a small circular motion _._

You were telling her you were going to check something.

She nods, but she still seems unsure about what you're doing.

You come up blank with what you want to say next, but you look at her earnestly and tell her you'll be back as soon as you can.

She can see the worry in your eyes, and motions for you to go. As soon as she does that, you walk quickly outside, and then rush towards the jet-black haired man smoking besides a tree not far from Yuko's home. You're too far away from her house for her to be able to see what you're saying if she decides to look outside, but you still don't want her to know about Toga.

"Did something happen to my mom?" you ask in a flurry.

He quirks an eyebrow up at you but takes another drag from his cigarette before answering.

"Your mom's fine. I was actually here to see how _you_ were doing..."

He gives you a piercing stare as he looks you over. You get slightly uncomfortable and shift in your spot a bit and decide to look around instead of answer.

"Um," you start hesitantly.

You can see Yuko's back at the window, but it's obvious she had been looking by the way her shoulders are bristled up. You would have laughed at her attempts of being discreet had you not been in front of Toga at the moment, but you were, and you had to answer.

"Well, why wouldn't I be ok?" you ask.

You can see his tongue push against the side of his mouth before he answers.

"I heard that you fought a level E yesterday... Did you get hurt?"

You shake your head, trying to figure out how he would know. Your mom didn't know enough about the monsters to know what they were called. Did she maybe have a suspicion about it, and she told Toga?

 _'Yeah, that has to be it,'_ you decide. But still, this was very odd. He never had come out of the blue like this before. And this wasn't your first vamp after all.

He pushes himself off the tree and ruffles your hair. "Well, if you're alright then, I'm going to go back to work then. You nod and start heading back to Yuko's, but when you get half ways across the road, you turn back to Toga.

"Hey, why did you come right now?" you ask over your shoulder. "I mean, you could have asked me later on tonight, couldn't you?"

He stares up blankly before replying.

With a shrug, he states, "He was very insistent that I needed to check up on you now."

"He?" you call out in surprise.

 _'It couldn't be... I mean, we just...'_

"Who is _he?_ " you call out in confusion.

Toga keeps on walking as if he didn't hear you, but before you can go after him to question him further, you hear a little bell scampering your way. Yuko stands in the doorway with a worried look and crossed arms.

 _'I need to ask Toga later,'_ you think to yourself as you pick up the kitty you saw come into Yuko's home this morning. It purrs contently in your arms as you walk back, petting it while deep in thought. When you get back to Yuko, she asks you if you're ok, but only one thing comes out of your mouth.

"Why in the world did _he_ want to know if I'm ok?"

* * *

End Note: I've been trying to learn how to do sign language recently. It's a beautiful language, but I am by no means fluent at all. For the most part, I used this website ( www . lifeprint asl101/pages-signs) for reference. Hopefully you guys will find it helpful too. And if anyone who knows sign language sees any mistakes, if you would please let me know so I can correct them, I'd greatly appreciate it!


	5. Chapter 5

Dinner that night was very quiet. Your mom seemed worried, but she wouldn't tell you what was wrong. You knew better than to pester her though. And despite being curious about what was on her mind, you still couldn't get that one thought out of yours.

 _'Was that annoying kid who took my pocky the one that got Toga to come check up on me?'_

You grab plates and set them up on the table. It was just supposed to be you and your mom tonight, but sometimes Toga would drop by before sunset. He was always a very different person when he came over for dinner. He was calm, more relaxed. And he also had much more of a warmth to him than any other time you were around him. You were sure it was because he was trying to give your mom some stability; something to make your mom feel like everything was ok. It was just so odd, after so many years of seeing him so distant except for when he got mad that you weren't doing something right.

It was still nice to see this side of him, and you really hoped he'd drop by tonight too.

"So who stopped by to see you today?" your mother asks you while she brings the stew over to pour onto the bowls. You grab the pitcher of lemonade you made earlier and fill the cups up.

"Toga just came over to ask how you and I were doing. I actually thought you sent him over to be honest."

Your mom tilts her head to the side in slight confusion, but she nods in acceptance, then continues with what she was doing. You grab the bread from the oven you had put to toast earlier, and set a slice besides your mom's plate and yours. Then you each sit down, and wait for a few minutes. The sun is already starting to set, and it's clear that the long rays of warmth aren't going to last much longer.

You shrug and then reach your hands out towards your mom. She grabs them and quickly says grace. Then you each start eating. You soak your bread in the stew, letting it pull up all the juices that taste like meat and potatoes, carrots and rice. You always liked to enjoy the broth before you actually dig into the star of the dish, and tonight was no different. Your mom on the other hand always left the broth for the end because she liked to drink it when it was cooler.

It's after you both already finished eating and had started cleaning that you hear a knock on the door. You each look at each other quizzically before you head to the door to answer. You peak out the window before reaching the door to check who it is, but don't recognize the man with the long ash-blond hair in front of your door.

You open the door slowly, making sure to have something in arm's reach in case this person might be dangerous. You don't open the door all the way though; only enough for the top half of your body and one of your legs to be visible enough to talk to him.

"Yes?" you ask as you look the man up and down. He's not bad looking, but he looks sort of goofy. It's like you're looking at a man who thinks he's a little kid. You can tell he's embarrassed by the way he holds his hands and the tenseness of his shoulders, but his smile is charming. You take to it quickly, but still keep your guard up. Even the most innocent of looking children can be deadly if you aren't careful.

"Hi, hello. My name is Kaien Cross. I'm here on behalf of Toga Yagari. Is your mother available?"

You stare him down while you lean back enough to call your mother over. She comes, wiping her hands on the skirt of her red dress. The water she wipes away darkens the red, making it look like blood is soaking the edge of her hip and the front of her right thigh. You burn that image out of your head as best as you can while you open the door wider so your mom can talk to him comfortably.

"How can I help you?" she asks politely. He straightens his back and clears his throat before introducing himself again. "Toga was wondering if (Y.N.) can come help him at Cross academy tonight."

Your mother snaps her head towards you, her mouth open in a small 'o' shape. You recoil a bit from Mr. Cross, the hand holding the door squeezing so hard, your knuckle turns white.  
Your brain yells "why?" but your mother's voice instead says, "What does he need her to do?"  
Mr. Cross continues to keep a calm smile, seemingly unaware of your hesitation, and your mother's suspicion. Instead, he just tells her, "He tells me your daughter is quite skilled at self-defense, and he'd like for her to help some students learn to defend themselves." After a beat, he says, "He says she's the best student he's had in a number of years."

 _'Ha! That's a laugh. He's always going on and on about how I'm nowhere near as good as that kid, Zero._ '

Your mom doesn't seem completely convinced, but after some hesitation, she says alright. Cross claps his hands happily, and responds, "Fantastic!"

He takes a step away from the door, leaning slightly as if to say let's go. However, before he can voice this, your mother says, "Wait. Take some dinner to Toga, (Y.N.). You know he never eats well until I force it done down his throat." Cross covers his mouth as he chuckles, clearly understanding your mother's dilemma. As she hurries off to the kitchen to pack a lunch sack for Toga, Cross perks up, his own small 'o' coming over his mouth as he remembers something.

"(Y.N.), have you planted the seed yet?"

He's all business as he whispers his question to you; that childish personality from earlier is now completely gone, and you see that you were right to be wary of his innocent facade. You cringe a little as it clicks what he's talking about. You hadn't had a chance to put it back; your father would be very disappointed in you had he been alive to hear about this...

"No, sir. I—" Before you can say anything else, he cuts you off and whispers for you to get it before your mother comes back. You had it placed underneath the bed, behind your light brown treasure chest you've had since you were 9. Your mother never went near those things because she respected your privacy, and knew how much the things you put in there meant to you. For this reason, you knew she wouldn't accidentally find the Seed there while she was cleaning. You grab your sweater as you hurry out to cover the box, and hope your mother won't think anything of the fact that you aren't currently wearing the sweater despite the current, light chill.

When you get back to the living room, you can hear your mother struggling, so you put the sweater-covered box down besides the man and hurry over to help her. She's very short, so there's some things she just can't reach from the higher shelves without your help.

You're surprised about the amount of food she managed to pack so quickly, and get quite jealous when you see your favorite side dish in the mix. You don't say anything though because, this is Toga after all. Your mom is just trying to take care of him since she can't distract herself by taking care of you anymore.

"Mama, what are you trying to get? Let me help you."

After a couple of minutes, everything is ready. When you go back out, you are relieved to see that the Seed is not overly visible, and that Cross is currently holding your sweater for you. To your mother, he must look like he's just being a gentleman. To your trained eye, you can see that he's holding the box within his coat, and using his hand and the sweater to cover it up.

"Ok, babe. I'll see you later, ok. Be safe, and take care of yourself," your mother says as she walks you to the door, guiding you since the amount of items in your hands was making it quite difficult to see ahead of you at the moment. Cross keeps the door open for you and guides you over to the coach in front of your home. You stop and stare at it in awe for a few minutes. So does your mother. Neither of you had seen something so luxurious before. It glints in the now shining moonlight. The iron wheels are huge and sturdy, while the door which is currently open reveals plush seating and velvet lining.

You hear your mother's quiet gasp as she quietly hisses out "Dear Lord..."

You glance nervously at each other, but laugh when she says, "You better not drop any food in there. It'll take us _forever_ to pay off that cleaning bill!" Cross smiles reassuringly at her and says that a minor spill is no big deal. And that she's actually doing him a huge favor by letting him borrow you for a few hours. She walks with you until the door of the coach, obviously entranced by the smooth wood outside and soft velvet inside. You get an idea, and decide it's now or never.

"Mama, can you help me take these things in there? Just go inside and put them on the chair until I can climb in too, yeah?" She's shocked by your words, but only looks at Cross to see if he disapproves. Instead, he gestures her forward and says, "Go ahead. After all, ladies should always go first into a coach. It would be rude otherwise."

She smiles and gingerly climbs inside, sitting on the seat closest to the door and cautiously reaches forward to grab container after container. Every chance she gets, she runs her hands over the material, or touches the designs of the material on the walls of the carriage. You haven't seen her this entranced by something in so long, it's a wonderful sight. After she's done arranging the food, she steps out, and you go in to take her place. She quickly kisses your forehead before she jumps off the last step, and goes to the doorway.

You wave goodbye to each other, then the carriage begins to shamble forward. As it progresses, you watch your house get farther, then the trees get closer. You can tell he's going to go around the long bend of the forest's edge to avoid your mother seeing you enter it. The forest is especially dangerous this time after all...

For about 10 minutes, there's nothing but trees and very long shadows. At points, you can only see thanks to the bright lamp Mr. Cross carries with him in the coachman seat, but finally there is a clearing ahead that marks the Utsero tree for these night time occurrences.

When you finally reach the spot, Toga is leaning against the tree with two young teenagers: one boy of about 14, and a girl that looks about 15.

The boy sits cross-legged over the foot of the tree, but begins to bounce excitedly when he sees the carriage approaching. He is short, with a mop of messy maroon hair on his head, and a long scar on his forearm that is only visible since he has his sleeves rolled up. He has a warmth and excitement to him that is almost infectious.

The girl seems uninterested and chews on a piece of gum as she waits. She looks like a mini Toga with her arms crossed like his, and the way she holds herself.

"Woah," Cross calls out soothingly to the horses. You slow down, and gently stop right in front of the tree. The boy jumps up at that and excitedly exclaims, "Hi grandpa!" You're surprised as you get out but say nothing. You just look at him and notice for the first time the soft crow's feet along his eyes, and the ever so slight laugh lines. Sure, he's not the youngest looking man, but he doesn't look any older than 40. Did he have kids really young?

"Hi, Yoshi," he says with a very kind smile. He then looks at the girl and says, "Hello Kasumi." She nods coolly and replies, "Hey." His smile seems to fade for just a fraction of a second because of her chilly disposition, but then it comes back full force when he gets back to business,

"So, Toga, I have brought you (Y.N.). Care to tell her what you have planned." Toga walks forward and tells the kids to step forward.

"(Y.N.), this is Yoshi and Kasumi. They're Cross Academy's new Guardians. You're going to help me train them." You blanch at his words when you realize what he means.

"But they're just kids!" you exclaim in shock. Part of you wants to pull them to your bosom protectively, wanting to save them from the horrors of encountering or even having to fight a vampire; but a harsh look from Kasumi shuts you up, and a soft pat on your head from Mr. Cross helps you feel a little better. Mr. Cross walks over to Yoshi and ruffles his hair before speaking.

"Yes, they are just kids, but these kids have already encountered a lot in the past couple of years."

Kasumi cuts in to add, "We're vampires too, for your information." You stare at her coldly, analyzing her for the tall tale signs at this information. However, you see nothing, and part of you believes she's just saying this to get you to go away. But she isn't the slightest bit scary, nor dangerous looking. There'll be no need to dispatch of her tonight.

"Well, then I guess I do have to train you then," you reply with a fake sigh. Toga smirks, instantly seeing your playfulness after all these years, but Kasumi glares at you. Yoshi smiles kindly, but he seems content just being close to his grandpa.

"Are we starting now?" You ask as you head back to the coach to get the Seed. Yoshi happily exclaims, "Yup!" while his hand quickly reaches up to do a faux salute. You smile at his eagerness, then tell him to come over. You hand him the Seed and get the top two containers of food before you each head towards Toga.

"Here you go," you tell the black haired smoker when you reach his position. He looks mildly surprised when you hand it to him, but a momentary hint of excitement lights his eyes when he recognizes your mother's cooking.

You motion for Kasumi to come over, then tell them the history of the Utseru tree. You tell them of the battle that raged in this land, and the grand sacrifice that The Father had to do to help his clan defeat the rogue vampire nemesis.

"The red ribbon attached to the branches signifies his body, which was ripped apart and left to rot by the monsters. But it also marks the spot of reprieve for all hunters and defenders who know what to look for. Here is when the Utseru tree sprang into life by the blood of our clansmen, and helped end the war. For, with his sacrifice, many of the monsters came forward, all wanting to be the one to get the kill as this was the man who kept them in check."

You continue telling the duo of the amazing battle, how he singlehandedly defeated hundreds of the monstrous beasts with only a machete and his brute strength. Then you tell them of the secret footmen, hiding in the bushes and camouflaged among the trees. These people helped kill the stragglers, and those that were unwilling to try to get through the hoards.

"It was a long, fearsome battle. But through this, we came to finally put an end to the relentless killing that had been running amuck in these mountains."

You detailed every little image, every scene, and every word, just like your father had to you when he first told you the importance of the Utseru. It made you feel closer to him, being able to pass along your family stories and heritage with those younger than you. Though, it was saddening all the same because these weren't family. They weren't hunters. These weren't people who would deal with the pain you dealt with like when you lost your father. It's not that you want them to be in pain, but not having other hunters to be around, and being the only family who could protect those around you, it made life very lonesome. In part, you envied this spry little guy, and the kuudere young girl listening to you. They wouldn't be growing up with the responsibility of protecting those around you, nor being the one at fault if someone you cared for died. They just had to make sure no one was bothering a class they weren't supposed to be with, and that no humans found out about the vampires in the school.

 _'I wonder if_ he _knows about the vampires...'_

Wait, where did that thought come from?

The image of the mahogany haired mystery man begins playing on the edges of your thoughts, and it annoys you to no end. Yet, you continue, keeping your cool and imparting the importance of learning how to protect innocent, naive humans that lived surrounded by these monsters that didn't have reason nor any form of morals the way each of you do.

Yoshi seems a bit nervous after hearing all the information, but he chirps up as confidently as he can that he won't let you down. He looks between his grandfather and you as he says this, and your heart breaks just the tiniest bit. He's so young... He shouldn't feel like this is his responsibility...

The kuudere Kasumi in constrast just keeps quiet, and nods at his words. Finally adding, "same" after three pairs of eyes turn to her to see what she has to say. After a brief pause, you look around and wait for directions from Toga before continuing with what you need to show them right now. He doesn't say anything, so you assume he's letting you take the lead for now. In fact, it's actually because he's currently busy chewing on a bite of chocolate zucchini cake you made for your mom made a few nights ago.

"Alright, so I just told you how important the Utseru tree is. But now you must see what the Father tree protects." At those words, you turn to Yoshi, and ask him to hand you the box. You turn it so that the top will open towards you, and they will each see the very thing that saved your life not that long ago.

"This, my dears, is the seed," you say as dramatically as you can. You may be their teacher now, and maybe you should be a little bit more mature, but your father was just as dramatic, and it helped you feel like this job, this life, was something to be excited about. But as you look at their confused and annoyed faces, your slight excitement falters.

"(Y.N.), where is it?" Toga asks you as he comes closer to look at the box as well.

"W-what?" you stutter out, quickly turning the box towards you and seeing the ominously empty lining.

Your breathing quickens, and you fight hard to stop the oncoming panic that starts to swell within your chest. You had put the gun back in the case. You made sure it was clean, and polished, and that the chambers were each full with the bullets your father kept in the secret compartment of his desk. You were absolutely positive you put the gun back. There was no way it couldn't be there!

For a moment, you stare angrily at Mr. Kaien Cross, ready to spit out curses and accusations at him since he was the last one alone with the Seed, but your father's voice comes to your head.

 _"Why would he take the Seed?"_

 _"Where is your evidence?"_

 _"Did I raise you to throw the blame on others, or to solve problems and get things done?"_

You take five deep breaths to calm down, then turn to your mentor. "Toga, I swear, I put it back. I don't know where it would be." You chew on your lip as you think, eyebrows scrunched together as you look down at the box deep in thought.

"Unless..."

You think of your mother, but know that she wouldn't have taken it. If she had found it, she would have confronted you about it right away, and tried to find out why you had a gun. Or if a monster had attacked again. And if she thought about the level E's, she would have been anguished and depressed again. She was too busy thinking about Akane and some other patients during dinner, so obviously she did find the gun. This wouldn't have been something she would wait to talk about, or could even forget about.

But what could have happened?

"You know what, it's ok. We'll find the Seed. It's got to be somewhere in your house," Cross says reassuringly. The warmth in his eyes is so soothing, you can't help but feel yourself slowly relaxing and agreeing with his words. "You're right… I'll find it there. I must've not locked the case when I put it under the bed, so it's probably there," you offer. He replies with an encouraging, "there you go!" then takes Toga off to the side and quietly whispers some things to him in private.

A smile is still on Yoshi's lips, but it is very much forced by this point, while Kasumi looks beyond bored and borderline annoyed at this point.

"So, tell me about yourselves. What are you good at?"

From there begins a long night of fighting basics and proper posture.

' _Gosh, how did dad do this?!'_


	6. Chapter 6

When you get home that night, you all but throw yourself onto your bed. You're completely pooped, and all you want is to let the sweet embrace of sleep grip you into tomorrow. Still, you have important things to take care of. The Seed is bothering you; it's not like it could just get up and disappear on its own. It's as you're lying there trying to figure this out when your mom quietly opens the door and peeks into your room.

"Hey, baby girl," she starts. "How did it go? Was that Cross guy nice, or did he live up to his name?"

You laugh as you roll over to your side. She's clad in her thick wool socks, a gray turtle neck, and her coral robe. Her hair is in a messy pinned up bun, and you can see that she's got her coffee mug with her. Yup, she's not going to sleep tonight.

"He was actually very sweet. And guy's grandson was a sweetheart! But his granddaughter didn't seem to like me."

Your mother wears the same expression you did at finding out he was a grandfather, but a quick chuckle is all she gives in response to that. She takes a measured sip from her red mug before saying she's glad everything went fine. You smile at her as she bids you goodnight and closes the door behind her. Once you can no longer hear her shuffling steps, you know she's in the carpeted living room, and so you dive down to the floor. You take everything from under your bed out and begin searching for the Seed. As you inspect your belongings, you notice something strange. Your treasure chest lock is open...

You hesitate as you reach to open the chest, but you have to check. Did someone go through your things? You take off the falsely latched lock and slowly pull the lid up. Within you see your fairy figurines your mother helped you collect growing up, the picture of Stela while you were holding her, the sketch book your uncle gave you on your 10th birthday, and the black notebook with a single blue butterfly on the cover that your dad gave you right before he died.

You take each item out carefully, lovingly. You stroke favorite figurine's wings, and note each little notch that it took to create such small fingers and precise facial features. You hold the picture up and admire your precious cousin's ruddy cheeks and soft patch of hair in the highest point of her life. You go through your sketchbook slowly, and appreciate just how much you've improve improved over the years. As you turn to the last page, your heart seems to stop at what you see. The blood drains from your face, but you hold still. You put down the sketch book right in front of you, and with a shaky breath pull out your notebook. You flip through the page frantically, looking for anything amiss, then you see it.

On a single, once empty page, words are scrawled in large letters.

"Have fun sleeping now."

You take a shaky breath as you read the words, and look back at the latest image, one you did not do. Your mother lies there, gripping her pillow tightly. Your arm is wrapped around her form, seemingly comforting her. And behind is the window, slightly ajar, with a figure hidden in the shadows. It's just a drawing, you know, but it feels much too real. You gulp at the implications, and wrap your arms around yourself as the feeling of being violated, of your private treasure having been rummaged through and left with the remnants of an unknown intruder.

You look up to your window, half expecting to see the shadowy image from the drawing there before you, but are glad to see it's empty. You quickly get up to make sure it's latched, accidentally kicking the chest as you move, and are quick to throw a couple of towels over the frame of the window to make sure you can't be seen. As you turn back around, the glint of an object hidden under your figurines catches your attention. You quickly kneel down, taking them out rapidly yet carefully, and find what you had been looking for earlier. Attached underneath is a small note.

"So we can be even," is scrawled in small, elegant letters on the paper. Seeing the Seed gives you a sense of relief. You clutch it to your chest, and look around as if you've never been in your room before. When all checks out, you make sure you have baggy clothes, and that the magazine isn't clicked all the way into place so you can't accidentally shoot yourself. After a second of hesitation, you step out and quietly check the bathroom, kitchen, and door for any signs of tampering or whatnot.

"What are you doing still up?" Your mother asks from the living room. She looks so tired, worn. Her eyes are red from the lack of sleep, and the bags under her eyes look as if they're carrying a huge load. Her glasses are slightly off kilter, and the papers littering the floor show you that something's up. There's a lot on her plate already, so you decide not to add more. You shake your head, saying you were doing nothing. That you just can't sleep is all. You go back to your room quietly while she's busy looking over her papers again and put the Seed in a safe spot. Then you grab your blanket and sneak over to your mom again. You sit beside her and ask if you could stay with her a bit. She gives you a tired yawn, then pulls you into a hug.

"Sure thing, baby girl."

She places a small kiss on your forehead then fixes her glasses, and continues on with her work. Every so often, she drinks some of her coffee. She also writes some notes besides each case.

Her eyebrows scrunch together as she notes a strange correlation. You try to catch a glimpse to what she sees, but she gives you a look of reproach that makes you stop. When you try to pry a bit verbally, she tells you that you know better. "You know I can't breach doctor/patient confidentiality."

You mumble that you're just trying to help, but relent. There's something about these patients though... As you sit thinking about the bits of notes you've been able to see, you start to hypothesize. They all seem to have been attacked based on the wounds they have, though they're unconscious. Your mother obviously noticed a certain connection, but she's not telling you. You sigh as you think, and lean against the wall, staring at the ceiling. You wrap the blanket a little bit tighter around your form as you think. Sleepy images begin to play around your vision as you start to doze off. You turn to your mother to tell her that you should each head to bed as she is starting to nod off as well, but then you see a flash of red as your eyes pass over the documents. The image of Akane burns into your eyes, and that quickly wipes your sleep.

"I thought Akane just burned herself!" You exclaim in shock. Your mother becomes more alert at the sound of your voice, and looks at you questioningly. She cautiously tells you, "...she was," but quickly begins to gather her files anyways.

"It's time you go to sleep," she tells you.

You get up after her, ready to grab hold of her arm and question her further, but she turns and yells, "Sleep!"

Her nostrils flare in anger as she clutches the documents to her chest. She looks as if she's protecting a baby. She's too busy holding the documents to herself for her to notice that one of those very documents is turned towards you. There's a mahogany haired young man with an apathetic look, and the name Shiki Senri written besides the name. You squint your eyes at the image, and mumble, "fine."

You walk over to your room, moodily wrapping the blanket over your head.

 _'I'm going to find out how that little dumb butt is connected to this! I don't care_ how _mad she gets!'_


	7. Chapter 7

You're on a mission, and it's one that has you waking up bright and early in the morning, doing your bed, and making plans before you even have to be told to. Then again, you've been taking the initiative for some time now, so it's not much difference. But still, you know you have to find out who this "Senri, Shiki" is and how he's connected to all this. However, your mother puts a damper to this plans when she tells you you'll be going to help Yuko again today. It's not that you don't love Yuko, and that you don't enjoy her company. You were just so ready to go into town and ask all the questions you wanted answers to...

Your mother sees your disappointed face, and you can't help but notice a small smile on her lips. Was this satisfaction? A hint of triumph? Did she know your plan?

Whatever the case, it quickly disappears as she says, "Now don't you go giving me that look. You never finished helping her with her orders yesterday, so you need to go back."

You think back to yesterday, and remember the interruption you had from your stoic teacher. With a sigh, you slump your head and relent. The breakfast you had been making as you cooked up scenarios in your head on how you would get the information quickly becomes uninteresting to you. Your mom quickly grabbed the eggs she wanted, along with a piece of toast. You grab your own freshly buttered toast and add some honey to the top, not wanting to get anything else. You always lose your appetite when you get upset. And though you were doing pretty good at pretending not to be, you were still pretty darn bothered by this. You sit patiently by the window as you wait for your mother to finish eating.

It's a pretty relaxing morning overall, but something just feels... off. You listen intently to the sounds around you once you open the window. Bees buzz by the flowers underneath the window sill and birds chirp as they dig in the ground for worms. The sun shines warmly onto the spot you rest on, and for a moment, you forget everything you'd been wanting to do for the day. You're just so warm, and that singing is so soothing...

"Alright (Y.N.), let's go," your mother calls as she starts putting her dishes in the sink with a noisy clatter and grabs her things. You inhale deeply, blinking the sudden sleep away.

"Coming!" you call after her as you get up and race to your room. You're not risking losing the Seed again like yesterday, so you grab your black blag that you always use to carry your notebook and pens in, grab a thin scarf to wrap the Seed, and quickly head out the door after your mother.

The walk along to town and towards Yuko's is quite and tense. Your mother mumbles incoherently as she shuffles through papers, so you know it's not because of anything at home that she's worried. You hesitate as you find your words, but finally just ask once Yuko's home comes into view: "So, everyone you've got files on has been hurt recently?"

She stops walking for a moment, as she looks at one file in particular, then looks up at you. With a sigh, she replies, "Ask Yuko if she'd like to come over for dinner tonight." At that, she places a kiss on your forehead and heads into town another way. You look after your mother, worry creasing your brows, irritation making you huff, and unease making you squirm in place. She normally takes the long route to check on the people along the outskirts, but today she's taking the straightforward path. You fight the urge to trail behind her to find out why, but know that that wouldn't do. You have a guest to invite over after all.

The sound of chirping picks up and seems to carry a tune in the wind. You find yourself humming along as you walk to an uneven beat stuck in your head. It's almost as if you're singing a song you heard a long time ago, but you don't know the words. Before you can think too deeply on it, you arrive. The bell from yesterday distracts you from trying to find the words to the song, but you smile happily when you see the graceful cat from before. You pick up the white feline and stroke its fur. You turn in the direction your mother was heading, and see her at the top of the hill. Her blue shawl flutters behind her as you look on. As she descends into the crest that turns towards the right and out of view, the cat in your arms begins to squirm so you bend over to place it on the ground. When you get back up, you are startled to see Yuko a mere 3 feet away from you. You jump in surprise, and you hear a soft chuckle. Yuko's hand goes up to her forehead in a manner reminiscent to a salute, then she flicks her wrist as she pulls her hand forward.

 _"Hello."_

You touch your chin with your right hand and bring it down towards the palm of your left. Then, you move your right hand into the crook of your arm and bring your left hand up, stopping only when you feel a gentle squeeze on your fingers.

 _"Good morning."_

A small smiles plays on her lips as she turns on the balls of her feet and motions for you to come in as she walks forward. The cat follows along, wrapping itself around her feet and swishing its tail to and fro. How she doesn't trip because of it, you don't know. Though it is a sight to watch. Its tail moves like a metronome, keeping time to a beat unheard. Inside, you see a half full box of china. Along the floor, more pieces are littered around, waiting for their turn to enter the dark chambers. She walks her lithe body around the delicate china, and leans against the couch as she sits on the floor. You make your way to the opposite side of her, careful to not break any pieces. When you sit, you look around, unsure what to do. She, in the meantime, grabs pieces of crinkly paper and wraps the items. Then she gently places them along a space meant just for it. You watch her to see how she's doing her process, but she moves too quickly. When she looks up, she sees your confused face. She straightens up, putting down the jug with pretty pink flows painted along the curves as she gets your attention.

Her left hand lies flat while her right hand is curled into a fist above it. She raises the two hands fluidly. Then she pinches her fingers together ahead of her and moves them outwards in little arcs. Quickly following that, she moves her hands in circular motions inwards, right hand starting before the left. Her eyebrows are bunched up in the middle in the meantime, indicating a question.

 _"Help pack?"_

Following her request, she repeats her motions from earlier, the way she wraps the pieces and how she gently places them inside, only much slower this time while you emulate her movements. She corrects you when you wrap the paper too loosely around the creamer piece, but also shows you too keep an airiness to them when wrapping the plates. The tea cups and tea pots are easy enough, especially considering that their concavity makes them easier to encase. But when you put them in, you need no help as it is just a large game of finding where the puzzle pieces belong.

You've always loved puzzles. That's probably why you are so determined to solve this puzzle in your life now. You soon get lost in the game of puzzle solving, unable to get to the real puzzle you'd like to figure out right now. Though, this work is really good at helping you forget about other things. You mind is unable to wander as you focus solely on where would be the best place to fit each individual piece. Before you know it, the box is full. You two are all done for the time being. When you look up, Yuko is smiling warmly at you, making you blush as you feel the sudden attention hit you. You look around nervously, then pinch your fingers together, and tap the edge of the triangles against one another.

 _"More?"_

She shakes her head as she raises her hands at chest level, then shakes them once. Her hands go slightly down as she does so, and the motion ends with her hands palm down. She repeats the motion once more as you try to remember what it means; when you finally remember, you exclaim, "Oh! Done, right? Wait, we're done?"

A soft laugh escapes her tiny frame as she nods, then mouths the word, "Done" as she repeats the motion yet again. You give two thumbs up, then repeat "done," both verbally and physically, in response. As you two finish closing the box, a knock at the door grabs your attention. Yuko notices you turn towards the door, and gets up herself to check.

After a minute, a male voice begins to speak. "Hello, are you Yuko? I hear you do very elegant china, and I would like to buy a set from you."

The voice sounds familiar, but you can't place from where. In the meantime, you pick up the box, and gently place it the large closet closest to you. You then close the door, and turn to help Yuko. Usually, people don't come to Yuko's home to buy her merchandise. Most people wait until her wares are at the market to ask for special orders. Therefore, you figure you should go and see what you can help with considering the situation. As you begin to head over, you hear steps making their way towards your location. You're used to Yuko's quiet little steps. What you're not used to is anyone _else's_ steps being just as quiet. But then, that's not what's most surprising about the situation.

With barely contained surprise, you find yourself whispering, "Shiki."

Guess you didn't have to go to town to start solving this puzzle after all.


	8. Chapter 8

Blue-gray eyes stare intensely into your wide, shocked ones. Though you are glad to have an opportunity to find answers, it seems too good to be true that he would be here of all places. As you look over his face, the slight look of surprise fades away so quickly you find yours asking if it were even there in the first place.

After another moment, Yuko clears her throat, taking your attention off of the mahogany haired male before you. Shiki quickly turns, quietly commenting, "Yes. To the business I've come."

He keeps his back towards you as he signs his conversation to Yuko, but he continues speaking aloud. It confuses you when you notice that Yuko keeps her hands behind her back, and just nods every so often. Normally she still signs as she speaks, _if_ she speaks. Though in this case, you don't know how she'd operate with customers. The one time a customer tried to talk to her about an order, he didn't understand sign language. He was rather rude when he realized she was deaf, so you had to be the one to take his order. She took it all in a stride though. But now, there was a smidge of concern raising her brow.

 _'Why is she worried? He only said he needed it done in a month. She's done extremely fancy sets in much less time than that!'_

When Mr. Senri stops talking, Yuko turns to you. She points a finger to herself, then directs it towards the hallways, then points back at herself. She is letting you know she'll be right back. You nod in understanding, then direct Shiki towards a chair.

"Ms. Yuko will be right back. Would you like to sit for now?" you ask him as politely as you can. He glanced at Yuko's retreating form, then let's a small smirk creep onto his lips. He walks with calm ease towards the chair you mentioned, then off-handedly comments, "Surprising... You're being calm. I wasn't expecting that."

 _'What the fuck is_ that _supposed to mean?'_ you think to yourself hotly. Your eyebrow twitches, but you refrain from letting your emotions color your visage. You won't give him the satisfaction. Yet again, his apathy washes over you, and brings your irritation to the forefront of your mind. You take a deep breath, trying to clear your thoughts, then find yourself asking, "Did you really come to buy something from Yuko?"

He cocks his head at your words, and looks at you calculatingly. You hear Yuko's muffled steps as she comes back right as he gets up, quietly mumbling, "No."

You turn towards Yuko yourself, not realizing just what he could mean, or why he would be here then, but that can wait. Your mother most not know about your talk, thus Yuko cannot see you conversing more than necessary with this mahogany haired mystery. She looks at you as she begins signing. First, she lays her right hand flat in front of her chest, then rotates it in two clockwise circles. Next, she brings her hands together, one fist above the other, and cranks them towards and then away from each other a few times. Finally, her lower hand loosens into a small C shape, as if she were holding a cup like object in her hand. Her other hand forms the sign for the letter F, her three free fingers spread out elegantly while the two that are pinched together rotate around lower hand.

 _"Please make tea."_

You nod and quickly head to the kitchen. As you get past the door, you hear Shiki comment, "Is she _still_ learning how to sign?" You hear Yuko chuckle lightly, and feel your cheeks begin to burn. By the motion in his shoulders, obviously he moves his hands very fast. You just started learning a few months ago, so it's not like you're going to be an expert right away. Who is he to judge you?! You huff angrily as you pull out the tea leaves and the kettle. As you fill up the kettle to heat the water, you notice a small red gleam from the spot where you took the kettle out of. You finish filling up the pot and light the flame. You open the door, catching Shiki's attention, who then gets Yuko's attention for you in turn. When you have her attention, you hold the door open with your foot, then hold your hands in fists and pull up two fingers from each hand to make two peace signs. You keep your left fist above your right, then lift your hand lightly. While still keeping your fingers pointed out, you turn your fingers in a clockwise circle, your left middle finger leading the way around. Once you've made a full rotation, you tap the fist part of your hand's position down onto the fleshly portion over your thumb. You use your facial expression to show that you are asking a question.

Yuko looks at you, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully then turns to Shiki and signs very rapidly. All you are able to catch is her hands passing past one another three times. One hand constantly moves towards herself while the other pulls away. You recognize this sign to be "whatever," and assume she's saying to do whatever. But she's looking at Shiki, so maybe her message is not for you.

Shiki then turns to you and says, "She told me to tell you to do whatever, but asked if I wanted anything in particular, which I do. Add a lot of extra sugar to my tea. And make hers how she usually drinks it. She also said that you suck at signing and why are you even trying." He says this all with a straight face. You don't even react to his last bit until turning towards the door to finish, but then you angrily exclaim, "Wait, what?!" The corner of his mouth pulls mischievously upwards as he quickly replies, "Extra sugar. A good six extra spoonfuls if you will."

You stare him down angrily, not believing a word he says. But his eyes are so calm and serious looking, it's hard to question him despite his tiny smile. You feel a nervous bubble start to rise in your chest as you catch the look Yuko takes when she looks between the two of you, so you turn and let the door close harshly behind you. Yuko can't hear, so hopefully she won't notice. But _let_ that asshole tell you something! Oh, boy would you love to give him a piece of your mind...

But, why?

Why does he get under your skin so easily?

Why does he catch your attention so much?

And most importantly, _'what was that small red gleam under the cupboards?'_

You take out the tea cups, saucers, and sugar, then look over your shoulder. It's very quiet, but they also seemed very embroiled in their conversation when you last saw them. You're in desperate need of answers, and it seems that the only ones that can be answered today are the most recent ones that have come up. The tea still has a few minutes left to finish boiling so you quietly pad over the cupboard, and look at the strange red object. It's not far, and you can tell that it will be easy to put back just as it was, but you're scared to take it out. What if you take it out right as Yuko comes in? What if Shiki comes in and accuses you of something? Will your mom find out? Will you get in trouble?

 _'But I need answers!'_

You take a deep breath, then reach forward and pull out the item. It's cold and metallic, and not at all what you were expecting. It's a whip. The handle is long, and the whip portion looks hard, but something about it makes it remind you of those bracelets your mom would buy you when you were little. Those flimsy kind that you would snap on your wrist so it would curl around into the proper bracelet form. You jump then when the tea kettle starts whistling, signaling that it is all ready to be poured. You quickly put the whip back where you found it and rush to finish with the tea.

Your mind is buzzing with questions at the moment, but the one thing that won't get out of your head is the one thing that is making you shake and blush: _'Is Yuko a dominatrix?'_

Part of you wants to laugh at the absurdity of the question. After all, this is Yuko. The sweet, gentle woman. The patient woman who always has a gentle smile. This woman wouldn't hurt a fly, much less derive pleasure from causing someone pain. But then again, from what you've heard, people are different in bed compared to how they act in their day-to-day lives. Maybe Yuko isn't as careful when she's with a partner... It would make sense since she always has to be careful with everything else she does. With her china, with her cat, with her interactions. Maybe that's her way of relaxing every now and then.

But you haven't seen her interested in anyone before. Except...

Your eyes widen a little as you carefully step out of the kitchen to set the tea cups before the duo outside and catch Shiki rubbing Yuko's hand. A look of panic is on her face, and his looks serious. You go to the coffee table between them and set the saucers down, intent on leaving quickly to give them some space. However, as you turn to go, Shiki grabs hold of your hand and quickly says, "Wait."

You do as he says, only to get annoyed when he asks if you put in the right amount of sugar or not. And here you thought he had something serious to ask. With irritation heavily laced in your voice, you reply, "Why don't you taste it and tell me if it's to your liking?"

You start to pull your hands up to cross them, only to realize, he still has a hold of your hand. You become acutely aware of his palm over the top of your hand. His long fingers reach past your wrist, and wrap neatly around. His hold looks loose, yet his grip keeps you in place. All the meanwhile, he acknowledges your request and pulls the cup to his lips to get a taste. What unnerves you about his actions though are that he refuses to look away from your face.

His demeanor is placid, almost bored. Still, he refuses to look away. You shift uncomfortably in your spot as you wait for his response, for your excuse to get control of your hand again and run off. Obviously, this just _has_ to be the moment when he decides to take his sweet time doing something. You sneak a glance at Yuko, and her eyebrow is raised mightily high, though you miss the little smirk on her lips due to your nerves and sudden building panic.

"It needs a little more sugar," he finally responds. You nod in understanding and finally manage to pull your hand away to safety, but you feel too overwhelmed by his gestures to really be able to give the snarky response you so wanted to snap back with. All you can get out is a, "sure, sure," as you pull away and hide in the kitchen for a moment.

Ok, so Shiki _isn't_ the one shacking up with Yuko on her downtime.

And more importantly, what was that about?! You hardly know the guy, and he holds your hand like if you're his long lost lover. **Not** ok.

You exhale a breath you hadn't realized you were holding and then quietly tell yourself aloud, "No. Time to get down to business. Find out who this fucker really is."

If he's going to decide to get all cozy with you, might as well take advantage of this situation, right?


End file.
